Dinner Guest
by LuvTheEars2232
Summary: After 4X05, Guinevere was distraught about Arthur leaving her, so she decided to take up an offer a old friend made, and a jealous Arthur ensues!PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Title

**A/N: This episode I guess I could say was alright, but Arthur made me a little upset with how easily he let go of Gwen, so I sat there thinking to myself, 'what would he have done, had Gwen decided to move on? Nothing serious, but she just decided to take up a past offer...' I mean seriously, he leaves beacause he listens to his posionous wart of an Uncle, and then he doesn't even tell her the truth, he just tells her that she's not 'Aproppriate'. Then he has the nerve to try and give her some flowers that he picked up off the side of the road! Like that was supposed to make it better. I will admit though, that the kiss that follwed was the thier best yet, and that the smug face Arthur made was to die for...But thats beside the point! He still made me angry, so this is my revenge...**

Just because Arthur had ended things with her, doesn't mean that she didn't stop worrying about him. Guinevere had recieved news earlier that day, that the battle against Cameliard, had been reduced to a challenge between two chosen champions. Arthur of course had chosen himself, and his opponent was said to be a man too large to be completely human.  
>She grew even more anxious as she heard Elyan recount how Arthur had almost been trumped by the man, but had somehow managed to succeed as victor. Listening to her brother made her want to assure that all was well with Arthur, she needed to see with her own eyes. So grabbed a pitcher on her way to his chambers, and proceeded with a light knock on his thick wooden door.<p>

* * *

><p>Arthur was reclining on his bed, both mulling over the past few days events, and thinking to himself how to fix them. He had been lucky with the battle, very lucky indeed. He can't imagine what he would have done had the Queen of Cameliard denied his request, the bloody battle would have commenced as planned. He was grateful that he had been allowed a second chance, and a decision that he finally felt was right.<p>

His predicament with Guinevere, however, was a horse of a completely different color...

* * *

><p>Guinevere made her way into the chambers after him lazily bid her to enter. She walked in with her head down, defeating the purpose of checking on him. She had her mind set to place the pitcher on the table by his bedside table, and leave just as easy as she came.<p>

"Ah, Gwen."

"Sire." She responded politiley. She reached her destination, but stopped when she saw him make haste to get out of bed. He stood, a bundle of lavender seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"These, " He thrust them in her direction, " are for you." She watched as several of them wilted pathetically. "They're not much I know. I picked them up on the side of the road." She took the flowers thinking that is was truly the thought that counted. The fact that he had picked them himself made them all the more special.

"Thank you Sire, I don't know what they're for." Gwen said twirling them about in her hand. Flowers were usually something given to a significant other, someone Arthur had virtually told Gwen she was no longer.

"They're to say I'm sorry Guinevere." He said. Pity, he probably thought she needed it after his trip to her little home a few days previous. It was the last thing she needed. Her situation was only to be expected after all.

"You don't have to apologize, I understand things have to be the way they are." She told him, before taking a few deep breaths to calm frantically growing nerves.

Arthur looked at her a moment. " A good king should respect the traditions of the past, as my father did."

"I know that." She said, was it necessarry to state the obvious, especially when it was a painful part of obviousness.

"A good king, should also be true to himself." He took a small step. " And do what he sees fit." He took but another step. "And be seen with those who he cares for." His final step lead him to stand but a few feet away from her. His point was made. He was sorry, he realized his mistakes, and he wanted to make amends.

"Even if they're not..._appropriate_?" She had to ask, to make sure. He took another step, and pulled her body flush against his. His cerulean eyes ablaze with a passion she had never seen on his handsome features before. He kissed her then, short, and oh so very sweet. Gwen felt her eye lids flutter. She gazed at his face, he was wearing this look of not so hidden smugness, he looked rather pleased with himself. It was a look she had never have the pleasure of seeing, and it had the oddest effect on her person.

"Does that answer your question?" He asked, the looked still plastered on his face.

Two could play at this game. She stared back into his eyes, hers the color of molten chocolate.

"It's a start." She said smartly. A small smile graced the corners of her mouth before Arthur pulled her back into another kiss, with this one she almost felt her bones turn to jelly. She was truly weak at the knees. To think she had thought about moving on, she didn't want to dwell too much on the possibility of not having Arthur. To the extent that she had accepted a request from Rowland, the kitchen chef.

Rowland, oh no...

"Oh dear." she said breaking them apart.

"Oh dear?" He asked.

"Oh dear." Gwen repeated.

"'Oh dear, what?" He asked skeptically.

"Rowland." She said simply.

"Rowland, who is Rowland?"

"The chef form the kitchens." She replied.

"And why are you thinking about the chef from the kitchens at a time like this?" He wondered.

"I have to tell him...but i can't just call it off...hmmm." She said thinking to herself out loud.

"Guinevere, what are you on about?" Arthur wanted to know.

"Well, Rowland, from the kitchens, he uhh, well.."

"He what?" His hands that currently resided on her waist, tightened sigificantley.

"He really didn't do anything, I invited him for dinner." She said.

"Dinner where?"

"In my home of course."

"Alone?" He asked,

"Naturally." She replied.

"I don't like it." Arthur stated simply.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I can't just tell him 'No, I've changed my mind'. It's very inconsiderate."

"Why did you accept in the first place?" He asked.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, and he has been asking me for quite a while, I just never thought twice about it because I was in an 'arrangement' , with a certain Prince. When said Prince ended it, I finally gave in to Rowland." She nibbled on her bottom lip.

"So soon?" Arthur asked, and hurt expression played on the contuors of his face."Didn't you think how I'd feel about it.?"

"I did, but I thought you didn't want me anymore." She said quietley.

"Guinevere I wouldn't—"

"I know that now. I was too depressed to think about that. It isn't as though I'm getting any younger, many of my friends are my age and married, or on their way to being so. You have to understand Arthur. I always thought that this," She gestured between them, " was too good to be true." I didn't want to think of living my life as an old maid. You didn't want me, and Lancelot is no longer here. Rowland is the kind of man I would have spent my life with, had you and Lancelot not graced me with yourselves. A normal commoner man. I agreed with that in mind." She finished.

Arthur stared at her, feeling worse than he already did for making her feel this way. His sweet Gwen, he had broken her heart, and he was going to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

"Guinevere, love, I am more sorry than you could possibly imagine." Arthur said, stroking away the tears Guinevere had subconsciously cried during her speech. Each one broke his own heart a little more, knowing that he was the cause of them.

"I know Arthur, but I brought Rowland along into this mess. It's not his fault, the least I could do is make him dinner."

"Trust me, I completely understand your reasoning, but I still don't like it." He said.

"I'm not _asking_ you to like it, I'm _telling_ you what I am going to do so that you don't conjure up anything with your over active imagination." She replied.

"You act as though I'm in the wrong." Arthur said quite incredulously.

"You are being selfish." Gwen said.

"I don't like to share." He said, his eyes suddenly acquiring a glint of possessiveness.

"They say sharing is caring." She said pulling out of his hold.

"Being an only child, I've never been fond of the sharing concept." Arthur said before pulling her back toward him. His subconscious gesture of his possession of her. "Besides, I don't even know this..._Rowland_." he said the name like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Which is precisely why you shouldn't judge him." She said.

"It's precisely why I shouldn't trust him." He palmed her face in his hand, his thumb gently gentley caressing the curve of her mouth. "I can't lose you Guinevere, you're too important to me."

"Arthur, you speak as if I'm going away." Gwen said quietly. A small bitter smile landed at corner of his lips.

"It's my biggest fear, that you may find someone else, someone less..._difficult_." He said equally as quiet.

"Oh Arthur, you shouldn't fear that." Gwen answered hugging him tightly.

"I know I shouldn't, but still, I can't not. As I said, you are very important to me."

"The dinner will be that of friendship, I will be sure to tell him that it is all I can offer." She assured him, wanting to ease his aching heart.

"Then I have no choice, but to accept this, I brought it upon myself after all." Arthur finally conceded. He perched his chin atop her head as she rested it on his chest. Her arms were still wrapped about him as his were around her.

* * *

><p>Rowland Tlindum was definitely a rather handsome fellow. He was not born of nobility, but he carried himself with a level of confidence that would make those who did not know him think otherwise.<p>

He was tall, perhaps a few inches taller than Arthur. He had pale skin, freckles, a kind smile, and eyes as green as the valleys of Albion.

Guinevere would be lying if she said that she didn't find him attractive, because by the gods he was, but her heart was taken by another.

There was a faint knock on heard at her door. Gwen glanced around her tiny little cottage making sure that everything was in place, she straightened a dish on the table, and grabbed her shawl before opening the door.

She smiled, "Rowland."...

**A/N: How was that? Please review if you liked it, there will be a second chapter to this, but if I don't get enough reviews, I won't know if you liked it enough...**


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner Guest

Ch. 2

**A/N: And here the promised, but not so promised second half to Dinner Guest.**

* * *

><p>"Merlin, were you aware that for a short time, Guinevere and I were no longer together?"<p>

Arthur asked Merlin as he sat down to dinner in his chambers.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Merlin said.

"I broke-up with Guinevere." Arthur said.

"What! Why did you do that?" Merlin asked his eyes wide.

"It was Uncle's idea" Arthur replied picking around the food on his plate. He subconsciously wondered what Gwen made for _Rowland_.

"Oh, of course, Lord Agravaine. Surely everything that leaks from his poisonous mouth must be the truth." Merlin muttered under his breath angrily as he furiously tucked the corners of a sheet into Arthur bed. It seemed that everything Agravaine said never seemed to sit right.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"Why would your Uncle have any say in the matters of your heart?" Merlin questioned.

"He doesn't."

"Then why—."

"At the time, I thought it was for the good of the kingdom, it isn't exactly the most appropriate thing to be seen courting a servant." Arthur said pushing his plate of barley touched food away from his person.

"You told Gwen she wasn't appropriate!" Merlin asked incredulously.

"Yes," Merlin eyes were the size of saucers, " but I didn't mean it that way." Arthur tried to justify.

"Doesn't change the fact that you said it." Merlin said hotly.

"That's not the point right now." Arthur said.

"What is then?" Merlin asked standing beside Arthur who was now leaning on his table. "Why did you tell me?"

"Because, during this time that we were...separated, Guinevere invited _someone_ to dine with her." Arthur said distastefully.

Merlin watched Arthur's face when spoke, it contorted with disgust and a hint of something else. "I'm guessing that this someone is a man?"

Arthur grunted.

Merlin smirked. "Serves you right. Yet I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"She's dining with..._him_, tonight." Arthur told him.

"Oh really?" Merlin asked sounding genuinely interested. " What's she making?" He wondered.

"Merlin." Arthur warned.

"I'm joking. What is it you're wanting me to do?" Merlin asked. Arthur gave him _that look_."Oh no, Arthur I'm not going to stake outside of Gwen's house! What if they want their privacy?"

"They don't need any privacy." Arthur all but growled.

"I don't think Gwen would approve of you sending me out to spy on her."

"You're not spying on her, you're spying on him, making sure he doesn't try anything." Arthur said, telling himself that there was nothing wrong with what he was telling Merlin to do. She was _his_ Gwen, and as he told her before, he doesn't share.

"I don't even know the name of this guy." Merlin said, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts.

"Rowland." Arthur said.

"Rowland." Merlin said. "Rowland from the kitchens?" He asked.

"Yes Merlin, Rowland from the bloody kitchens." Arthur hissed.

"I know Rowland, he's a bit taller than you, he can cook seeing as he's the head chef and all, and he has just about every non-noble female in this castle fawning over and or fancying him. They say it's his eyes, they're really green you know. I didn't know Gwen was one them." Merlin rambled, not paying attention the fact that Arthur face was turning more red with anger by the second.

"She isn't." He said, his teeth grinding.

"Yeah, but you said—"

"I know, what I said Merlin. You know what, just forget it. I'll do it myself." Arthur was tired of the idiocy known as his manservant. He grabbed his blue cloak that was hanging conveniently on the edge of his changing screen.

"Suit yourself." Merlin said heading towards the door.

"Where are you going." Arthur asked tying his cloak.

Merlin shrugged. "The tavern."

* * *

><p>"Rowland." Guinevere smiled as she opened the door to reveal the tall and handsome ginger.<p>

He bowed at the waist. "Mi lady."

"My brother may be a knight, but I am no Lady." Gwen said as she opened the door wider to let him into her small home.

"To each his own, what makes a Lady is not in her blood, but in her actions." He said handing her a small bouquet of wildflowers.

"Such wise words." She said taking the flowers. " Thank you."

"I try." Rowland said in response to her comment.

"And much too serious. Come now, and please, call me Gwen." She said searching for a place to hold the flowers, before settling to place them in the center of the table.

"How about Guinevere?" He asked.

"Most people call me Gwen." She said thinking on how her full name is usually reserved for Arthur.

"But Guinevere is such a lovely name." He said.

"Very well," She said " Would you like a drink."

"Water would be fine," Gwen handed him the drink."Thank you. You have a wonderful home."

"Thank you." Gwen replied. It got quiet as Gwen made the plates, and Rowland looked around as far as his eyes would let him. Gwen brought the food, and they ate in relative silence.

"This is delicious." Rowland said after eating a bite of the roasted pheasant.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it." Gwen said. The awkward silence continued until Rowland set down his fork.

"Is it just me, or is this more awkward than was planned?" He asked.

Gwen smiled in understanding. " Yes, it is." She agreed.

"Alright," He said pushing his plate aside. "Tell me something about yourself."

"Well."She said doing the same. " What do you want to know?"

"Anything you want to tell me." He said.

"Okay, uhmm, I am-was the daughter of a blacksmith." She said quietly.

"So I've heard. They say he was a master at his craft." He commented.

"He was indeed."

"What happened to him?" He asked, but he saw the pained look on her face. " You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." He said wanting to take back the question, it was obvious that she wasn't still over whatever had happened to him.

"It's alright." She assured. She took a deep breath. "He was wrongfully executed."

"By whom?" Rowland wondered out loud.

"King Uther, my father was accused of consorting with magic. He never received a fair trial, he had lost all hope, and when he tried to run, they killed him." She said hopelessly biting back tears as she remembered what tragedy that had befallen her father. "Uther claimed that the fact that he ran, only solidified his guilt." She wiped at her eyes.

"Guinevere, I am so sorry." He said sincerely, not knowing how to comfort her.

"It's alright." She sniffed. "He's in a better place now."

"Let's talk about something else, I can't stand to see you cry." He said as he gently rubbed small comforting circles on her back. "...What's you favorite color?" He asked.

"That was random." She said drying the last of her tears.

"It worked in changing the subject did it not?" He answered. Gwen took a few moments to regard him.

"Fine, it's red." She said.

"Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" She asked.

"I thought it'd be purple." He said.

"Well, things are not always as they seem." She said smartly as she picked up the dishes to wash them in the nearby basin.

"Do you know what they say about red?" He asked.

"That it's the color of Camelot?" She said as she turned back around to find Rowland dangerously close to her personal space.

"No," He replied, his voice dropping quieter and somewhat hypnotic. "that it's the color of _love_," he took a step closer , "_fire_," he took another step, standing so close that Guinevere had to tilt her head back to look him in his beautiful green eyes. "and _passion_..." He whispered, his lips leaving a phantom caress. Gwen shivered.

"I never knew the color held such a significance." Gwen said her voice sounding like a squeak.

"It holds a great deal." He said. She was breathing rather hard now due to Rowland's close proximity. She was just about to ask him to take a step back when he spoke. "Guinevere."

"Yes Rowland?"

"I'm going to kiss you..." He said going in for the kill.

"Rowland I can't—" Too late. Rowland leaned in to kiss her. Guinevere gasped, shocked that he actually pulled through with the action.

Rowland kissed her with as much passion as he could muster into the kiss, but Gwen remained frozen. He pulled started to pull away wondering why she didn't respond. He liked her, he thought she liked him. Then why didn't she kiss him back?

"Guinevere I—"

CRASH! It resounded throughout all of the small house, the chorus of clinging metal and tumbling wood.

"What was that?" Rowland asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps I should see about it." Gwen suggested. Rowland grabbed her upper arm. Gwen stopped and looked at Rowland questioningly.

"No, you stay here." Just as Rowland made his way towards the door, Gwen heard a muffled voice.

"Oww!" It hissed in pain. She knew that voice, it was all too familiar.

"Uh, you know what Rowland, I do believe I know what that noise is." She said, trying to save hidden guest the embarrassment of being found.

"Are you sure." He asked not entirely believing her.

"Yes, the stray animals make a habit of going through my trash that's out back. One of them just probably knocked something over." Guinevere said leaning on the door, blocking his exit.

"Ohhkay, well I guess I could help cleaning up—." Rowland conceded picking up the cups.

Guinevere took the mugs from him.

"No, no, it's okay. I've got it...It's getting late, you should be getting home." She winced at how anxious she sounded for him to leave.

"Okay, well...Goodnight Guinevere." Rowland said sounding disappointed.

"Goodnight Rowland." she replied.

He had barley made it out of the door when Gwen called out to him.

"Rowland!"

He turned, a hopeful look on his handsome features.

"Yes Guinevere?"

"I think it would be best if we just remained friends. I'm sorry." she added sheepishly.

She watched him leave with his shoulders sagged and his head down, he looked like a lost puppy, and that made Gwen feel horrible.

Suddenly there was a dark figure that appeared before her, she jumped in surprise.

"Guinevere." It said flatly.

"Arthur, you gave me a fright. And how dare you _spy_ on me!" She hissed the latter angrily.

"It's a good thing I did." he says just as angrily. With that statement, he pulled her body flush against his before his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss that made her weak at the knees. There was a statement in that kiss, that she was his and that he did _not_ like what he saw that evening.

Guinevere managed to pull them apart, her eyes fluttering madly in the process. She had to take a moment to completely come to her senses and not succum to turning into a puddle of boneless goo on the floor, before her eyes flashed in a cross between disbelief and anger.

"Why were you staking out my house." She demanded still entrapped in his arms.

"To prevent the very thing that happened." He replied drily refusing to let her go completely.

"I could have handled it myself thank you." Gwen said stubbornly crossing her arms.

"Oh sure, because things were going just peachy before I just so happened to fall over a barrel." Arthur muttered darkly.

An amused light glinted in Guinevere's amber eyes. "You fell over a barrel?" she asked.

"I was kneeling on it to get a better view of you and Rowland."

"And just how long were you there?" She asked lifting an eyebrow.

"Does it matter! I saw enough, more than I wanted to anyway." He eyes turned an icly blue as he was reminded of that fact that another had kiss _his_ Guinevere.

"No one told you to watch." She said smartly.

"What happened to keeping it platonic?" He asked.

"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!" She said exasperated.

"You sure as hell didn't fight him off!"

"I was in shock!. You don't have to be such a bloody prat about it, if feel horrid enough without you thrusting it in my face." She said, her eyes starting to water.

Above all things, Arthur never wanted her to cry. "I'm sorry Guinevere."

"You know, you've been saying that alot lately." She sniffed.

"I know. It's just...when he kissed you...I wanted nothing more in that moment than to run him through." He said, softly thumbing away the stray tears.

"Arthur—"

"I don't like people touching what belongs to me." He said before kissing her fiercely again. "You are mine Guinevere, do you understand that, you belong to _me_."

Gwen stared at Arthur wide eyed thoroughly surprised by his possessive statement. She had never belonged to anyone before, so she she didn't know if she should be offended that he thought her similar to a possession to be won, or thrilled that he wanted her so.

"I'm not quite sure how to respond to that." She whispered.

"Just say you're mine." He said simply. A possessive fire raged in his cerulean orbs.

"Arthur, is that really necessary?" she asked.

"Please, just humor me." He begged.

Guinevere sighed. "I'm yours Arthur Pendragon. I shall belong to no other man as long as I live."

His shoulders released the tension Guinevere didn't even know was there. He took a deep breath through his nose as if to absorb the words she had just spoken.

"Say it again." He pleaded his beautiful face full of so much passion and love.

Guinevere obliged. "I love Arthur and only you. I desire no one else." She she said more forcibly staring directly into his eyes.

"And I you Guinevere. _Nothing_ will ever change that."Arthur whispered, his lips grazing the shell of her ear. _"Nothing."_

**A/N: I'm sorry you guys. I have no excuses. Consistency is not my forte... I'm not really fond of this chapter, it just seemed awkward and not structured, but I put it out because I said I would if you guys reviewed. You did, and I was sooo grateful, you don't know how good it makes my 15 year old heart feel:) I feel I should also say that I am once again disappointed in my dear Arthur for his choices in 'Lancelot du Lac'. I cried, and his stupid uncle drives me up the wall! Sorry, anyway, if you read please review, I'd love to hear feedback about it. If you don't I'd totally understand...Sorry about the double alert.**


End file.
